Yosef, An Eternal Inspiration - Vayigash 5786

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Yosef was an extraordinary person.  The description of how he ran Egypt, his prophetic vision, interpreting of dreams, his brilliance, and the way he rose to the top wherever he went, shows how unique he was.  Then add to that the way he treated his brothers, the people who had upended his life, almost killed him, sold him into slavery where he suffered so much for 20 years.  Not only did feed them in Egypt, but he comforted them and assured them he had no ill will toward them.  The ultimate example of repaying bad with good.


There is more.  There is a verse in Psalms where King David prays to Hashem:  “O Shepherd of Israel, He who leads Yosef like flocks.” (Tehillim 80:2.)  “Yosef” in this context refers to the Jewish people.  The reason the entire nation is referred to as Yosef, is because he was like a shepherd to his family and saved them all from famine.  So there is a lasting impact that Yosef had on all generations of our people.


In addition to the material impact that Yosef had, feeding everyone and making sure they survived, there is his lasting spiritual legacy.  Yosef was cast off from the family and spent many years in corrupt Egypt, surrounded by impurity.  Not only that, at one point he actually ruled that country. Yet he maintained his connection to Hashem without compromising his standards in any way.  Not only did he withstand the advances of his master's wife, for which he landed in jail, but he refused to adopt the Egyptian way of life at all.


Chassidus describes Yosef’s attachment to Hashem as a “Merkava” - a chariot or vehicle.  Just as a vehicle is completely under the control of its driver with no mind of its own, Yosef was completely devoted to Hashem and acted only according to His will.  He did that while he was in captivity as a slave, in prison, and in Pharaoh’s palace running the nation.


It is from Yosef that we all received the strength, inspiration and ability to survive in exile and to keep our faith and attachment to Hashem and the Torah.  He is therefore considered our shepherd, both materially and spiritually.  We learn from Yosef that we can be productive and contributing members to the society in which we live, while at the same time not assimilating or compromising our true Jewish (Torah) values, under the harshest conditions or in affluence.


This newsletter is being sent out on Thursday the fifth of Tevet.  This day is considered a great, joyous day in Chabad, when the Rebbe won the fight to retrieve the holy treasure of the Jewish people, the great library of Chabad.  Our traditions, history and the entire Torah is transmitted in our holy books, and the saintly authors invested their souls into the writings.  You can read the details of this conflict here.  It is customary to celebrate the day with the purchase of holy Torah books.

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